10
RU’S HEART STILL hammered long after the call had ended, driven by a combination of excitement, anxiety and no small amount of fear. It felt a little like when he’d psyched himself up to drive on roads so he could get away from the farm. He’d kept stalling the Land Rover, panicking when he went more than thirty miles an hour. The thought of driving on a proper road, let alone with other cars around him, rather than the isolated country lane he’d been struggling to master, had made his stomach churn so much, he’d thrown up.
But, in the end, he’d done it. He’d driven to Dublin and not even come close to having an accident. Ru doubted Jasim would be flattered by him thinking that first-time sex was like learning to drive a car, but…Please don’t let me throw up.
He unpacked all his stuff again and by the time he was done, the washing machine had finished and he put his clothes in the drier. Ru didn’t want to sit around doing nothing, so he tidied and cleaned the kitchen and the communal room. His name wasn’t next on the rota, but that didn’t matter.
Bela flew in as he was eating his lunch in his room.
“How can you tell when I have food?” He gave her a piece of bread.
She rubbed herself against his cheek and he stroked her back with his finger. “Are you all right,Áilleacht?”
“Are you all right?” Bela asked.
Ru smiled. “Yes, I’m all right. Maybe I’ve found my first friend, Bela. Do you like Jasim?”
“Safe,” she cawed.
“Yes, safe.”
Ru knew that Bela was only mimicking. She didn’t understand the words she used, and yet sometimes it felt as if she did. After the sandwich was gone, she went back out of the window. He wondered where she was going. Maybe still exploring the area, looking for friends of her own.
He sent Ink a message.All going well. I’ve made a friend. He’s going to teach me how to swim.After he’d sent the message, he pulled up his father’s number, unblocked it, and tapped outI’m fine. I have a job looking after horses.He didn’t know what else to say. He sent the text, then blocked the number again.
At ten to three, Ru made his way to the swimming pool with his towel. Part way there, he wondered if Jasim might have changed his mind. If he was hiding that he was interested in Ru, giving him a private swimming lesson was a bit of a giveaway. Ru headed for the shallow end and stripped down to his blue shorts, tossing his clothes at the side of his towel.
His bruises had changed colour. Red had morphed to bluey purple. The mark on his thigh had faded a little. He wondered how long it would be before he collected a few more bruises from Mike. Ru sat on the edge of the pool and dipped his feet into the water. Warm but not too warm. Despite what had happened yesterday, he wasn’t scared of the pool. Water wasn’t dangerous as long as he could swim. Maybe he already could, but he didn’t want to try until someone was there to haul him out if he went under. He tipped his face up to the sun.
“Ready?”
Ru started at Jasim’s voice and pushed to his feet. Jasim stood in front of him in his trunks and Ru felt his cock begin to harden.Shit!
“I’ll jump in.” Ru stepped towards the pool and Jasim caught his arm.
“Hold on. Do you know how deep it is?”
“It says four foot. I’m not going to drown in four feet of water. If I panic, I’ll just stand up.”
“Just get in carefully. No jumping.”
“Well, you’re no fun.”
Jasim laughed. “You really want to jump in?”
Ru nodded.
“Then we have to do it where it’s deeper. It won’t be so deep that you can’t stand up and have your face above the water, but if your feet hit the bottom, bend your knees. I’ll be right next to you.”
Ru followed Jasim down towards the deep end.
“Need me to hold your hand?” Ru asked.
Jasim laughed. “No. Yes.”
Ru slid his hand into Jasim’s and Jasim held his fingers tight. Ru looked up at him.
“You need to leap out so you don’t hit the side of the pool.” Jasim’s voice cracked.
